Hydropneumatic engine.



PATBNTED 1250.3, 1903.

L. KESSLER. I HYDROPNEUMATIO ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 24, 1903.

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7 PATENTED DBO. 8, 1902. L. KBSSLER; HYDROPNEUMATIG ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented becember 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HYDROPNEUMATlC ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingare of Letters 1 atent No. 746,100, dated December 8, 1903.

Application filed February 24, 1903- Serial No. 144,902. (NomodeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS KESSLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful I-Iydropneumatic Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the hydropneumatic engine for which Letters Patent No. 368,952, August 30, 1887, and No. 451,824, May 5, 1891, were granted to me; and my object is to provide means for increasing the capacity, efficiency, and power of the engine as required to adapt it for heavy work; and myimprovementconsists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of automatic valves in the bottom of the float, means for directing the water of condensation into the top of the float, means for closing the annular chamber between the float and the boiler, and means for flexibly connecting a pitmanrod with the float, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view of the boiler, the condenser, thecylinder, the piston, and the float and shows the forms and relative positions of the operative devices connected therewith as required to simultaneously reciprocate the piston and float."

Fig. 2is a corresponding sectional view taken in a line at right angles to the line of Fig. 1, p but shows the float and piston elevated to its Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view limit. that shows the pivotal connection between the pitman-rod and a stem fixed to the bot tom of the float. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the automatic valves in the bottom of the float. sectional view of the valve-seat provided with steam-ports. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the engine and shows a gas-burner at the bottom 1 of the boiler for generating heat to produce steam in the boiler. I

The numeral 10 designates the boiler, adapted to be subjected to furnace heat as required to produce steam. An open-ended cylinder 12 is fixed on top ofthe boiler, and a condenser-cylinder l3-is fixed in concentric position relative to the steam-cylinder and boiler as required to produce an annular Fig. 5 is an enlarged water-tight chamber between the cylinder 12 and condenser-cylinder 13.

A-hollow float 14, open at its top-and provided with valves in its closed bottom, is fitted in the boiler 10 and a bearing 15 fixed to the inside face and bottom portion of the cylinder 12. I

A piston-rod 16 is fixedv to the bottom of the float 14, and. a piston 17 is fixed to the top of the said rod, and to the rod is pivotally connected a link 18, as shown in Fig. 3.

A crank-shaft 19 is mounted on bearers 20, fixed on top of the condenser and cylinder by means of bolts or in any suitable way,

and therpiston 17 is connected with'the crank of said shaft by means of ayoke 21, as shown in Fig. 2, in such a manner that the yoke will peform the function of a link for transmitting power and motion from the piston to the said crank, adapted to be utilized as a driving-shaft for operating extraneous machines connected therewith.

Balance-wheels 22 are fixed to the shaft 19, and 23 isa belt-wheel on one end of said shaft.

A rock-shaft 24 is mounted in bearings 25,

fixed to the bearers 20, to extend parallel with the shaft 19 in a lower plane, and has an arm 26 connected with the piston-rod 16 and float 14 by means of the link 18, pivoted to the end of the arm 26, and a coupling 28,1ixed in the bore in thetop of the stem 16, as shown in Fig. 3.

- A'n arm 29 on the end of the rock-shaft 24 is connected with an arm 30 on the end of the crank-shaft 19 by a link 31 in such a manner that when the float l4 rises it will impart force to the rock-shaft 24 to be transmitted therefrom to the crank driving-shaft 19'at the instant that the piston 17 has completed its 17 is forced downward by atmospheric presand close ports 34 in the fixed bottom of the float. Each valve is composed of two disks and 3t), rigidly connected by means of stems 37, as shown in Fig. 4, and each disk has a central enlargement, and the lower one has a chamber 38,in which is fitted a coil-spring 39, that will normally press downward as re quired to keep the ports 334: closed and to prevent steam generated in the bottom of the boiler from entering the float and as required to force the float upward by steam-pressure, and when the float descends to the bottom of the boiler and the enlarged centers of the parts 36 contact with the circular rib 33 the ports 34 will be opened by the upward motion of the two parts 35 and 36 long enough to allow the water of condensation to enter the boiler through the ports 34, and the instant the float rises again the ports will be closed by the spring 39 as required to prevent steam entering the float.

To the upper portion of the stem 16 is fixed a conoidal deflector 27, that will direct the water of condensation from the steam-cylinder 12 into the open top of the float, and when the float descends and its lower valve members 35 contactwith the fixed rib 33 in the bottom of the boiler 10 the valves will be opened automatically as required to allow the water of condensation to pass from the float into the boiler. The small quantity of .water in the boiler is thus successively converted into steam to be condensed in the cylinder when the piston has risen therein and the water of condensation returned through the float to the bottom of the boiler, and as the water is condensed in the cylinder a vacuum occurs and the piston is forced down by the natural pressure of the atmosphere to which itis exposed to produce the downward stroke and to operate the driving-shaft as required to complete its revolution and start a succeeding revolution.

The bearing 15 serves to guide the vertical motions of the float and also serves as a valveseat to be engaged by a valve 40, fitted thereto and fixed to the bottom of the piston 17. Steam-ports a, in the valve-seat allow steam to ascend from the boiler into the cylinder to aid the float in forcing the piston up and utilizing the expansive power of the steam; and as it condenses and the piston descends the inclined top face of the valve-seat and bearing 15 will direct the water of condensation into the open top of the float, and the valve 40 will close the ports a and confine the live steam in the boiler until it again forces the float and piston upward.

Having thus described the purpose of my invention, the construction and functions of each element, and the arrangement and combination of all the parts, the practical operation and utility thereof will be obvious to per sons familiar with the art to which it pertains, and

Nhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a steam-engine, a boiler having an open top and closed bottom, a raised portion on the upper side of the bottom adapted to engage a valve, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and its closed bottom provided With ports for discharging water into the boiler and an automatic valve carried by the float for closing the ports, for the purposes stated.

2. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on the top surface of the bottom, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and closed at its bottom, a plurality of ports in the floatbottom and spring-actuated valves fitted to the ports, for the purposes stated.

3. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on the top surface of the bottom, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and closed at its bottom, a plurality of ports in the bottom and spring-actuated valves fitted to the ports, a stem fixed to the centerof the bottom of the float and a deflector fixed to the top portion of the stem, arranged and combined for the purposes stated.

t. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on the top surface of the bottom, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and closed at its bottom, a plurality of ports in the bottom and spring-actuated valves fitted to the ports, a stem fixed to the center of the bottom of the float and a deflector fixed to the top portion of the stem, an open-ended cylinder fixed on top of the boiler, and a piston fixed to the top of the stem, arranged and combined for the purposes stated.

5. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on the top surface of the bottom, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and closed at its bottom, a plurality of ports in the bottom and spring-actuated valves fitted tothe ports, a stem fixed to the center of the bottom of the float and a deflector fixed to the top portion of the stem, an open-ended cylinder fixed on top of the boiler, a piston fixed to the top of the stem, a valve fixed to the bottom of the piston and a valve-seat fixed in the bottom portion of the cylinder and provided with steam-ports, arranged and combined for the purposes stated.

6. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on the top surface of the bottom, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and closed at its bottom, a plurality of ports in the bottom and spring-actuated valves fitted to the ports, a stem fixed to the center of the bottom of the float and a deflector fixed to the top portion of the stem, an open-ended cylinder fixed on top of the boiler, and a piston fixed to the top of the stem, a valve fixed to the bottom of the piston, a valveseat fixed in the bottom portion of the cylinder and provided with steam-ports and a condensing-cylinder fixed in concentric position with the steam-cylim der, arranged and combined forthe purposes stated;

7. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on the top surface of the bottom, a float fitted in the boiler and open at its top and closed at its bottom, a plurality of ports in the bottom and spring-actuated valves fitted to the ports, a stem fixed to the center of the bottom of the float and a deflector fixed to the top portion of the stem, an open-ended-cylinder fixed on top of the boiler, a piston fixed to the top of the stem, a valve-seat fixed in the bottom portion of the cylinder and provided with steamports, a condensing-cylinder fixed in concentric position with the steam-cylinder, a crankshaft mounted on top of the steam-cylinder and a yoke connected with the crank-shaft and with the piston, arranged and combined for the purposes stated.

8. In a steam-engine, a boiler open at its top and closed at its bottom, a circular rib on p ports, a stem fixed to the center of the bottom of the float and a deflector fixed to the top portion of the stem, an open-ended cylinder fixed ontop of the boiler, a piston fixed to the top of the stem, a valve fixed to the bottom of the piston, a valve-seat fixed in the bottom portion of the cylinder and provided with steam-ports, a condensing-cylinder fixed in concentric position with the steam-cylinder, a crank-shaft.1nounted on top of the steam-cylinder, a yoke connected with the crank-shaft and with the piston, a rock-shaft in parallel position with the crank-shaft in a lower plane and provided with an arm'at its center, a link pivoted to said arm and extended into a bore in the top of the stem that carries the float and pivotally connected with a coupling fixed in said bore, an arm on the end of the crank-shaft, an arm on the endof the rock-shaft and a link pivotally connected with the said two arms, arranged and combined for the purposes stated.

LOUIS KESSLER.

Witnesses:

R. H. ORWIG, THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

